A coastal sport born in paddy fields 800 years ago roared into the heart of Mysore Dasara 2026 on Sunday, 18 October — as Chief Minister DK Shivakumar flagged off a Kambala competition at the state's grandest festival and declared the buffalo-racing tradition a sport for all of Karnataka, not just the coast.

From Kadri Manjunatha's fields to Mysore's festival ground

Speaking at the event, CM Shivakumar traced Kambala's origins to an act of devotion. 'ಭಕ್ತಿಯ ಬೇರು, ಕೃಷಿಯ ತಳಹದಿ, ಪರಂಪರೆಯ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಕಂಬಳದ ವೈಶಿಷ್ಟ್ಯ' — 'Devotion as its root, agriculture as its foundation, tradition as its strength — that is what makes Kambala unique,' he said. The sport began, he explained, as a form of prayer and service to Kadri Manjunatha, a revered temple deity in coastal Karnataka, by farmers seeking protection for their livelihoods.

Around 3,000 people from the coastal belt travelled to Mysore to conduct the event — a logistical feat the Chief Minister publicly saluted on behalf of the government. The spectacle drew lakhs of visitors from across Karnataka, many of them watching a live Kambala race for the first time outside the coast.

9 seconds on the track — and an athletics ambition

The day produced a striking data point: the district collector informed the Chief Minister that a buffalo pair had completed the Kambala track in just 9 seconds. Shivakumar seized on the figure. He said his belief is that Kambala runners, if given proper athletic training, could compete at the highest levels of track-and-field athletics. The remark was brief but pointed — a policy hint wrapped in a sporting observation.

Rs 5 lakh per meet and a history book in the pipeline

The government announced that it is providing Rs 5 lakh each to 23 Kambala meets as direct state support. Shivakumar also revealed that a history book documenting the links between Kambala, coastal Karnataka's buffalo-honouring traditions, and the Vijayanagara Empire — whose kings are said to have paid tribute to buffaloes from the coastal region — will be released in the coming months.

Dasara's cultural programme this year has also featured Veeragase and Dollu Kunitha alongside Kambala, as the government explicitly used the Mysore platform to present the full spectrum of Karnataka's regional performing traditions.

'Criticism dies, the work survives'

The Chief Minister acknowledged that the decision to bring Kambala to Dasara drew criticism. His response was characteristically blunt: 'ಟೀಕೆಗಳು ಸಾಯುತ್ತವೆ, ಕೆಲಸಗಳು ಉಳಿಯುತ್ತವೆ' — 'Criticism dies; the work survives.' He framed the initiative as a constitutional duty: as Chief Minister, he said, it is his responsibility to make every culture and tradition of the state part of the Dasara programme.

The unifying slogan of the day encapsulated the government's message: 'ಒಂದೇ ನಾಡು ಹಲವು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ, ಒಂದೇ ಕನ್ನಡತನ ಅದುವೇ ಅಖಂಡ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ' — 'One state, many cultures; one Kannada identity — that is undivided Karnataka.' Citizens are also being invited to make reels about Mysore Dasara 2026, tag the official page @mysoredasara_2026, and compete for prizes awarded to the top 100 entries.

When a coastal rain-and-mud ritual earns a place under Chamundeshwari's banner in Mysore, Karnataka's cultural map quietly gets redrawn — and that is exactly the point.